The Ford F-150 EcoBoost Challenge has announced a winner, with Carlee Mallard of Raleigh-Durham, N.C., achieving an impressive 28.3 mpg average throughout her week with an F-150. She also had 56 volunteers attend her community service event where she sought donations for the Raleigh YWCA to be distributed to families impacted by Hurricane Irene

Mallard receives a year’s supply of free Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline; two Shell-branded stations in Mallard’s city of Raleigh-Durham will offer residents free regular-grade Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline for two hours and 22 minutes on Sept. 9, in a nod to the 22 mpg the Ford F-150 EcoBoost achieves on the highway

The 2011 Ford F-150 equipped with the all-new 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine delivers an unbeatable combination of power, capability and efficiency, making it perfect for this challenge. It is EPA-certified at 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway, complementing the best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque the engine produces. It also offers best-in-class conventional towing of 11,300 pounds and best-in-class payload of 3,060 pounds

The Ford F-150 EcoBoost is known for delivering impressive results, but F-150 EcoBoost Challenge winner Carlee Mallard stepped up to the plate by achieving an average of 28.3 mpg throughout her week with an F-150. The Raleigh-Durham, N.C., resident also held a community service event that attracted 56 volunteers to help gather water and non-perishables for the Raleigh YWCA that will be distributed to people impacted by Hurricane Irene.

“This challenge proved that F-150 EcoBoost can deliver when it comes to fuel economy and capability,” said Raj Sarkar, F-150 marketing manager. “Each driver really flexed the F-150 muscle by showing what these trucks could do. It was truly a challenge in every sense of the word and the drivers excelled.”

The F-150 EcoBoost Challenge saw eight truck fans put the truck to the test in their own communities to try and average the highest miles per gallon for at least 25 miles per day. They also were asked to create, manage and execute their own community service event.

“I was definitely impressed with how far I could stretch the gas. I didn’t have to fuel up once during the whole contest,” said Mallard. “To help boost the fuel economy, I never used air conditioning. I drove mostly on the highway at speeds between 50 and 55 mph because I wanted to avoid stoplights and stop signs.”

The week-long challenge garnered extensive social media coverage, with more than 1,840 tweets that mentioned the challenge reaching more than 6.6 million followers. Additionally, 2,500 votes were cast for the contestants and more than 100 blog posts were developed.

“As a proud sponsor of the Ford F-150 EcoBoost Challenge, Shell congratulates each of the contestants for showing how everyday motorists can make the most of their fuel purchases,” said Dan Little, North America Fuels marketing manager for Shell Oil Products U.S. “For winning the challenge, Carlee Mallard from Raleigh will receive a year’s supply of Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline, which help clean and protect critical engine parts from performance-robbing gunk so the engine can perform at its best. Way to go, Carlee!”

The winning driver was determined through a blended score measuring the highest average miles per gallon achieved throughout the week, the most votes on the Ford Facebook page and how many volunteers participated in the community improvement project.

Mallard receives a year’s supply of free Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline. Plus, to celebrate her win, Shell will provide free regular-grade Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline (up to 15 gallons per vehicle) at two local stations in Raleigh-Durham on Sept. 9 for two hours and 22 minutes ““ in honor of the 22 mpg the F-150 EcoBoost delivers on the highway. The addresses and times of the giveaways will be shared the morning of Sept. 9.

Each driver represented a city, driving an F-150 EcoBoost truck for one week. The first five days of the challenge involved a real-world fuel efficiency competition, with the average miles per gallon monitored via Ford’s Crew Chiefâ„¢ system installed in each truck. Crew Chief is Ford’s GPS-based telematics service that allows remote monitoring of a wide range of vehicle metrics to help enhance fleet efficiency, improve fuel economy and lower operating costs.

The community service piece of the contest had drivers team up with their local communities to create a goodwill project that includes public support. Drivers used their F-150 EcoBoost trucks to carry materials to their project sites.

Projects included creating a community garden for a community center, donating more than 1,000 pounds of pet food to the local humane society, creating relief kits for Heart to Heart International, which improves health through humanitarian initiatives, and donating more than 2,000 pounds of nonperishables to Metro CareRing.

The Ford F-150 is breaking new ground with its available EcoBoost engine, delivering a combination of fuel efficiency, performance and towing that beats all other trucks. The Ford F-150’s official 2011 EPA ratings certify that 4×2 models equipped with the 365-horsepower 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo engine and six-speed automatic transmission achieve 22 mpg on the highway and 16 mpg in the city.

“This truck uses advanced technology to deliver both power and efficiency,” said Sarkar. “The EcoBoost trucks are our most capable F-150s and the fact they also offer exceptional fuel efficiency means our customers don’t have to compromise.”